onsdag 11. september 2019

Hong Kong tourism suffers worst downturn since Sars outbreak in 2003 – arrivals down 40 per cent in August over protest crisis

Hong Kong’s tourism industry has suffered its worst downturn in more than a decade, with street protests decimating August arrival numbers and driving visitors from popular destinations such as Disneyland and Ocean Park.

Tourist arrivals fell nearly 40 per cent in August from the same time last year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po posted on his blog on Sunday. That drop is the biggest year-on-year monthly decline since 2003 – during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak – and follows a 5 per cent drop in July. Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, triggered by a controversial extradition bill, have entered their 14th week and show no signs of easing.